Comparison

VSCO Capture vs Strobfy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

VSCO Capture

Capture photos and videos with over 50 live filters and real-time effects. Offers granular manual controls for exposure, ISO, and more, allowing for precise aesthetic control as you shoot. Supports RAW capture and seamless syncing with a photo editor.

Highlights
  • 50+ live photo filters
  • Real-time video presets
  • Live Bloom and Halation effects
  • Live film grain
  • Manual camera controls (exposure, ISO, white balance, shutter speed)
  • RAW capture support
  • Seamless syncing with VSCO editor
Read full description

“VSCO’s Capture app is free and offers plenty of granular controls that will even please the “pro mode” fans among us.” - Digital Trends “The iPhone's camera goes from good to great with the just-released VSCO Capture app.” - PhoneArena “The presets deliver incredible results straight out of camera, and I love that I can adjust the intensity in real time.” - Jaime Angel, Photographer VSCO Capture brings together 50+ live photo filters, real-time effects, and intuitive controls to shape your vision as it comes to life. Perfect for photography enthusiasts and seasoned pros alike, VSCO Capture is designed for those who want to shoot with intention, emotion, and a distinctly personal aesthetic. FREE CAMERA APP VSCO Capture is made for shooting in the moment. Choose from 50+ live presets inspired by retro, contemporary, and vintage film looks. Apply real-time effects as you shoot, and easily toggle between automatic and manual settings. You can even shoot in RAW for more flexibility when editing later in the VSCO app. LIVE CAMERA FILTERS Shoot with over 50 preset filters that let you define your style before you press the shutter. From analog classics and black-and-white to retro film and photographer-inspired looks, each preset is designed to help you see and customize your aesthetic in the moment — no editing required. REAL-TIME PHOTO EFFECTS Shape light as you shoot. Add live Bloom and Halation photo effects to soften highlights, lift glow, and bring a cinematic, film-inspired character to your photos. Dial in intensity, size, and range in real time, so what you see on screen is exactly what you capture. VIDEO WITH LIVE PRESETS Shoot video in your style. Apply your favorite VSCO presets in real time to capture motion with the same look you trust for photos. With 50+ iconic presets, create a consistent aesthetic, frame by frame. LIVE FILM GRAIN Add analog texture in the moment. Apply live, film-inspired Grain to bring depth, character, and a tactile feel to your photos. Customize strength, size, and color as you shoot for an authentic aesthetic that looks and feels like the real thing. EASY MANUAL CONTROLS Dial in your look with intuitive manual controls. Toggle flash modes, adjust exposure, ISO, and white balance, and change your shutter speed with a UI that’s made for in-the-moment shooting. Easily capture long exposures with blur or recreate the look of a disposable camera with a pop of flash. Whether you're going full manual or letting auto do the work, you control your unique aesthetic. EDIT SEAMLESSLY Shoot first, edit later. Sync your photos seamlessly with the VSCO photo and video editor where you can fine tune photos with our full suite powerful tools and 200+ presets. Access all the latest features and support every step of your process with VSCO Pro Membership.

About

Strobfy

Transform your photos into dynamic, pulsing videos with a variety of effects. Easily create high-contrast, flickering visuals for social media without a steep learning curve. Customize every aspect of the strobe and visual effects, and add graphic text overlays.

Highlights
  • Create strobe and pulsing video effects from photos
  • Customizable frame interval and flash rates
  • Raw visual controls for jitter, contrast, and overlays
  • Add and customize graphic text layers
  • Export in various aspect ratios for social media
  • On-device processing with no account required
Read full description

Stills are dead. Strobfy doesn't edit your photos. It breaks them — into pulsing, flickering, high-contrast video you can post anywhere. Pick a few shots from your camera roll, tap a recipe or set the tempo yourself, and export. No timeline, no learning curve. RECIPES Ready-made looks like STROBE, PULSE and BREAK set every slider in one tap. Tweak them, save your own and get them back on all your devices via iCloud. CONTROL THE PULSE Frame interval, double-blink frequency, white flash rate and blank shutter rate — set exactly how your shots cut and flash. RAW VISUAL CONTROLS Kinetic jitter, black-and-white contrast, film grain, scanline and VHS overlay, pixelation bursts, slice glitch. Every slider is on one screen. Nothing buried in menus. Edit the VHS text: turn PLAY and the date on or off, or set your own date. GRAPHIC TEXT Add text layers and control rotation, scale and font weight. Pick Arial or one of five extra fonts: Space Mono, Instrument Serif, VT323, Syne and Anton. BUILT FOR POSTING Export 15-second clips, or up to 60 seconds with Pro, as 9:16 Story/Reel, 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait or 16:9 landscape. Saved straight to your photo library. ON-DEVICE Everything happens on your iPhone. Your photos are never uploaded anywhere. No account, no sign-up, no tracking. STROBFY PRO Strobfy is free to use, and you can try every feature in the preview. One purchase unlocks STROBFY Pro for good: no watermark (or your own text instead), all recipes plus up to 10 of your own, 5 extra fonts, videos up to 60 seconds and Edit VHS text. No subscription. Bought "Remove Watermark" before? You already have Pro. PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING Strobfy creates rapid flashing and high-contrast strobing effects. A small number of people may experience seizures when exposed to flashing lights, even with no prior history. Do not use this app if you are sensitive to flashing lights. Terms of Use: https://strobfy.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://strobfy.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

VSCO Capture4 screens
Strobfy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Strobfy at 5.0 against VSCO Capture's 4.4. Strobfy also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 11 days). VSCO Capture's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (225 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Strobfy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VSCO Capture asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strobfy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VSCO Capture has 225 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VSCO Capture ships an update every 11 days, Strobfy every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
VSCO Capture versus Strobfy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVSCO CaptureStrobfy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (225 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings225 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB2 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperVisual Supply CompanyStefan Schuster

Customer experience

VSCO Capture

All ratings222 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral12.2%
Negative20.6%

Strobfy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

VSCO Capture

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Can't switch to 5x lens on iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • Can't select a lens after tapping the lens option button

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add grain, adjust/lock ISO, and adjust/lock white balance
  • Multiple exposures, slow shutter/light trails, and video
  • Consolidated with the main VSCO app

Strobfy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

VSCO Capture

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Strobfy

One-time1
  • STROBFY Pro$3.99

Questions

Is VSCO Capture free?
VSCO Capture is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strobfy free?
Strobfy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VSCO Capture or Strobfy?
Strobfy is rated higher. VSCO Capture averages 4.4 out of 5 from 225 ratings, while Strobfy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do VSCO Capture or Strobfy have ads?
Neither VSCO Capture nor Strobfy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VSCO Capture or Strobfy?
VSCO Capture ships an update every 11 days, and Strobfy every 2 days. Most recently, VSCO Capture was updated on October 31, 2026 and Strobfy on October 31, 2026.

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